New photos show larger cracks in FIU pedestrian bridge after it was put in place

Federal safety inspectors released new photos Thursday showing cracks in the concrete of an under-construction, pedestrian bridge just days before it collapsed at Florida International University in southwest Miami-Dade.

The agency had previously released Feb. 24 photos documenting small cracks at the ends of the bridge. The new photos featuring larger cracks were taken after March 10, when the prefabricated bridge was transported from a casting yard and set into place on permanent piers.

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A new 950-ton pedestrian bridge at Florida International University in Miami-Dade county collapsed, killing six people.

nvestigators interviewed employees from eight companies involved in the bridge's design and construction, the report said. Experts have also tested concrete, steel rods and a hydraulic jack. The report didn't include any test results or conclusions about what might have caused the collapse.

The bridge was to span a busy highway and canal and connect Florida International University's campus to the neighboring community of Sweetwater.

The bridge was highlighted by FIU officials as an achievement for an accelerated construction method that was supposed to reduce risks to workers and pedestrians and minimize traffic disruption.

When the bridge fell, construction was behind schedule and millions over budget, in part because of a key change in the design and placement of one of the span's supports, public documents showed.

NTSB/Munilla Construction Management via the Miami Herald

A crack at the bottom of diagonal support No. 11 was photographed on March 13, 2018, just two days before the Florida International University bridge collapsed, killing six. The photo was released as part of an interim report distributed Thursday.

A crack at the bottom of diagonal support No. 11 was photographed on March 13, 2018, just two days before the Florida International University bridge collapsed, killing six. The photo was released as part of an interim report distributed Thursday. (NTSB/Munilla Construction Management via the Miami Herald)